The Miami Marlins try to avoid a third straight loss when they face the Washington Nationals in the first of a three-game series between NL East rivals on Monday night. The first pitch for the series opener is scheduled for 7:05 pm ET at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.
Miami dropped three of four in a weekend series with the Philadelphia Phillies, including Sunday’s series finale, 7-4. The Marlins are 40-53 and in last place in the NL East standings, 3½ games behind the fourth-place Nationals.
Washington salvaged the final game of a three-game weekend series with the San Diego Padres to improve to 43-49. The Nationals come into action trailing the third-place Atlanta Braves by two games and the second-place Phillies by four games in the NL East.
MLB odds have the Nationals with a moneyline of -125, while the Marlins are listed at +105. The over/under is set at nine runs.
Rough Outing
The Marlins lost for the sixth time in eight games on Sunday, but that wasn’t the worst news. Second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (left shoulder contusion) and first baseman Garrett Cooper (elbow) were both lost to injuries during the contest.
“It was one of those days,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said after Sunday’s loss. “You start the day hopeful with where you are at. Hopefully, you want to get two, but you don’t get one, and then you see Jazz go down and Coop go down.”
Chisholm is batting .251 with 10 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs, 34 RBIs, and 38 runs scored. Cooper is hitting .284 with 10 doubles, a triple, nine home runs, 33 RBIs, and 30 runs scored.
Outfielder Adam Duvall hit his team-leading 20th home run. Duvall also has nine doubles, a triple, 64 RBIs, and 38 runs scored.
First baseman Jesus Aguilar is batting .275 and leads the Marlins with 68 RBIs. He’s hit 15 doubles and 17 home runs while scoring 31 times.
The Marlins had yet to name a starter for the series opener. Injuries have been a problem for the team’s rotation all season long, with only three hurlers making 10 or more starts in 2021.
Wild Weekend
The Nationals pulled out a come-from-behind victory on Sunday to finish up their three-game series with the Padres, though the talk of the weekend was the shooting outside Nationals Park on Saturday night that forced the postponement of that night’s contest. The game was resumed on Sunday, with the Padres taking a 10-4 decision before the originally scheduled game was played.
Second baseman Alcides Escobar had a home run in the eighth inning and ended the game with an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth as the Nationals rallied from a 6-4 deficit heading to the bottom of the eighth. They scored three runs in the eighth to take a 7-6 lead before San Diego tied it in the top of the ninth.
Escobar is hitting .296 in 12 games, with three doubles, a triple, a home run, seven RBIs, and seven runs scored. The 34-year-old came to the Nationals in a trade with Kansas City in early July.
Outfielder Juan Soto went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, two RBIs, and two runs scored in the victory. Soto is batting .295 with 10 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs, 48 RBIs, and 59 runs scored this season.
The Nationals have also not named a starter. Joe Ross and Stephen Strasburg are both on the 10-day injured list, so Washington is scrambling to find starters these days.
Series Outlook
Washington has a 5-2 advantage in the season series, going 3-0 at home against the Marlins. The Nationals are 25-24 at home, while the Marlins have been 18-32 as the road team in 2021.
Miami will have Trevor Rogers (7-6, 2.31 ERA) on the mound for Tuesday’s game, followed by Sandy Alcantara (5-9, 3.23) in the series finale. Washington hasn’t named a starter for Tuesday’s game yet, though Erick Fedde (4-7, 5.32) is scheduled for Wednesday’s contest.
The MLB series prices for this divisional matchup have the Marlins as the slight favorite at -120, while the Nationals are listed at -110.
Nationals Take Opener
Washington got a nice boost from Sunday’s comeback win over the Padres. The Nationals are starting to put things together and should extend the Marlins’ losing streak in this one.
When making your MLB betting picks, take Washington to get the win at home.
